Big Love: Tips for Living in Multi-Dog Households

Adding another dog to your household will definitely increase the fun factor at home, but it may also add challenges. With that in mind we've created a series of handouts to help ease the transition.
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Bringing a new dog home is an exciting and important decision. Before you take the plunge, take time to think about what kind of dog will be best for you and your family. Never feel pressured to make a hasty decision about bringing a dog home – responsible rescues or breeders will take the time to give you a dog who will be a good fit for your family in the long run. Be honest and upfront with the people helping you add another dog – they are there to help make a good match!

Adding another dog to your home is a big adjustment, not only for you and your family, but also for the new dog. You new dog has been uprooted from the only life she knows (even if it wasn’t great, at least she knew what to expect!). She doesn’t know who she can trust, doesn’t speak the language, and doesn’t even know when – or if – her next meal will appear. A little extra work in the beginning can help smooth everyone's transition, promote bonding, and prevent behavior problems in the future.

There is a lot to love about living with more than one dog – what’s better than hanging out with two (or more) dogs who are the best of friends? The downside to multi-dog households, however, is what we call “The Rule of Multiples”: Any behavior problem in one dog will multiply by the number of dogs you have. In other words, the more dogs you have, the worse an individual dog’s problems can become. Here are some tips to help keep the peace if you have more than one dog under your roof.

Scuffles can happen between any dogs of any breed, even if they’re friends. When a fight occurs it can be more traumatic for the humans than the dogs – so if you’re feeling a bit shaken up by one, you’re not alone. Here are some pointers that will help prevent fights and aid you in getting through one.